Serious Inquiries Only

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Join Thomas for some critical thinking on questions of science, philosophy, skepticism and politics. These serious topics are discussed with some serious guests, but in an entertaining and engaging way! This is not your typical interview podcast; it’s a friendly dialogue, conducted thoughtfully and with plenty of humor. It's Serious Inquiries Only; but like, not boring or anything.

SIO480: Abortion Legislation Gets Embryonic Terminology and Facts All Wrong
Inspired by an Opening Arguments episode during the heartbeat bills, and soon-to-be-Dr. Rachel Feltman embarked on research where they collated "facts" from abortion legislation across the country and examined its medical/anatomical accuracy and...
SIO479: Does Speaking Your Partner's "Love Language" Foster a Happier Relationship?
Gary Chapman's model of five love languages has been well-embraced by people as they navigate dating, marriage, and other relationship moments. Dr. Sharon Flicker joins the show to discuss what exactly they are, how Chapman came up with them, and her ...
SIO478: This AI Is Not My Girlfriend, It's My... Social Agent...
It's part 2 with Alejandro and Julia from ! We get the worst AI "research" of all, we talk big picture, and then Alejandro and Julia give us some tools for spotting bad AI research and coverage on our own! Are you an expert in something and want to be...
SIO477: Debunking Bad AI Research, and Bad Coverage of AI Research
Alejandro and Julia of join us to debunk some terrible AI research, and the bad reporting compounding the problems on top of that. Also, what is AI? Can it ever think for itself? Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? !...
SIO476: Greg Palast Claims the Election Was Stolen. Let's Check His Work. PART 2
This is a part 2! Make sure to catch the previous episode in the feed. If you're on the left and at all active on the internet, you have probably seen this shared. It's called "." Here's the first bit: "Trump lost. That is, if all legal voters were...
SIO475: Greg Palast Claims the Election Was Stolen. Let's Check His Work.
If you're on the left and at all active on the internet, you have probably seen this shared. It's called "." Here's the first bit: "Trump lost. That is, if all legal voters were allowed to vote, if all legal ballots were counted, Trump would have lost...
SIO474: They've Been Telling Us They'd Do This for a Long Time. Many Just Weren't Listening
Katherine Stewart joins us again () to talk about her new book, ! Katherine's books have been vital to understanding the Right. This book tackles different factions - the billionaires, Christian Nationlists, and the New Right, among others - and their...
SIO473: A Strange Man Is Inside Our Government
And the unending moral cowardice of Republican politicians means he gets to do what he wants. It's a Thomas needs to say things one again, sorry.
SIO472: Anti-woke Crybabies Call ASL Interpreters Unnecessary. Here's the Fascinating Science Behind Why They Are Vital
The absolute man-babies who make up the anti-woke movement are always crying about some very minor thing that makes other people's lives better and is no actual burden to them, but is different than the past. This week, that thing happens to be... ASL...
It's 2025. Please Stop Playing Dumb. It Was A Nazi Salute.
SIO471 - I just can't anymore with this. It's so fucking pathetic that mainstream media and a whole bunch of pundits, even on the left, have to do this thing where they play dumb and pretend people like Elon have any sort of credibility. There is no...
Trump’s Health Nominees Are a Steaming Pile of Grift
Buckle up because we have so many Health and Human Services nominees to get into on this episode, and surprisingly nearly all of them are actually doctors of medicine! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please...
Dr. Rick on Trump’s Terrible HHS, Continued; and, Trump's Surgeon General Nominee
We're back with Dr. Rick to continue our discussion of what we might be facing with the next Trump administration's HHS, but he refuses to leave the recording without giving us something to feel happy about! Then we kick off Lydia's cabinet nominee...
Trump's Health and Human Services Agency, with Dr. Rick Sullivan
Lydia has spread Opening Arguments' fashwatch to SIO, and we're calling in a doctor to keep it under control! Dr. Rick Sullivan joins us to walk through the Health and Human Services Agency, its various entities, and what kind of impact we might be...
You Don’t Actually Need to Condemn the Murder of the CEO Guy
I've felt like I wanted to say a ton about this since day 1, but keep holding back. I finally hit brain saturation and just need to share. I think I have a useful way of looking at this whole thing, hope you'll consider it. Oh and also, f---...
Epidemiologist Claims MAGA Is An Epidemic Caused By "Brain Flaws." Only Problem Is, That's Completely Unscientific and Based On Almost Nothing.
SIO466 - Dr. Gary Slutkin has been and other outlets as an expert epidemiologist who runs an impressive NGO that helps reduce violence. While he may be an epidemiologist, almost everything else about him and his claims seems to be... very likely bull...
No, She Didn't 'Lose' 15m Democratic Votes
Hey folks, this is more of an SIO, but I recorded a solo show because I have to debunk this myth about Kamala losing 10-15m Democratic votes, and Trump only keeping his same voters from 2020. That isn't correct at all. I also have a million other...
SIO464: All About Synesthesia, Part 2
Dr. Jenessa Seymour is back to talk more about synesthesia! There are some absolutely fascinating case studies that Jenessa covers in this episode, and we theorize how in the world synesthesia happens. The brain is impossible. Are you an expert in...
SIO463: Synesthesia - How Does It Work?
Dr. Janessa Seymour is back! This time she teaches us all about synesthesia. How does it work? How many people have it? Are they just faking it? How do we test for it? This episode features one of the most mind-blowing things I've ever heard on this...
SIO462: The Day the Dinos Died
Everyone's favorite dino guy Dr. Eric Jaffe returns! This time, he takes us through what happened when the dinosaurs died. How did it happen? What does the evidence show and how has our understanding of that changed over time? How in the world did...
SIO461: So You Want To Destroy the Earth...
What's your best option? Stop the moon and let it fall? Nuke the center of the planet? Create a mini black hole? Astrophysicist Dr. Bryan Gillis is here to help us destroy the entire planet. It might not be as easy as the movies make it seem... Are...

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